After dropping to 14th place in the Premier League table on Sunday, Manchester United decided to sack manager Erik ten Hag on Monday after two and a half years in charge.

By the sounds of it, the Red Devils have already targeted who they would like to replace the Dutchman — Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim. Via The Athletic:

“Sources in Portugal, speaking anonymously as they’re not authorised to discuss the matter, have told The Athletic the 39-year-old is open to taking up the opportunity after Erik ten Hag was sacked earlier on Monday.”

This isn’t the first time Amorim has been linked to a job in England. He was a candidate as the potential successor for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool before they appointed Arne Slot. The Athletic reports that Manchester United is prepared to pay a €10million release clause to Sporting to secure the services of their manager.

If Amorim does ultimately take over, he has quite the job ahead of him. There’s a ton of pressure when you’re in the Old Trafford dugout, as ten Hag learned. Plus, the Red Devils have an atrocious 3-2-4 record at the moment, putting them 12 points behind first-place Manchester City. They’ve only scored eight goals in nine matches while conceding 11 times.

But, the 39-year-old Amorim may be the perfect replacement for ten Hag. He led Sporting to their first league titles in nearly 20 years in 2020-21 and the club lifted the grand prize again in 2023-24. The Portuguese giants are also a regular in the Champions League. Amorim is well known for giving young players a chance to showcase their talents and tends to excel at bringing out the best in his players.

Manchester United suffered a 2-1 defeat to West Ham on matchday nine and it won’t get any easier next weekend as they clash with in-form Chelsea. The Red Devils also face Leicester City in League Cup action on Wednesday. Ruud van Nistelrooy is expected to be the interim boss for the time being.

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